Jed Walker

The American Heritage Dictionary (the online version) defines “blog” as: n. a weblog. v. To write entries in, add material to, or maintain a weblog.

So if you’re keeping score, as a blog my website makes a better noun than a verb. In meeting the standards of the verb, I’d say yes on number 1, sometimes number 2, and number 3…not so much.

Wait for it, wait for it…here it comes…no, my hard drive did not crash.

No, I did not run out of things to say; there’s not much danger in that.

And no, the dog did not eat my paper; I don’t have a dog, and I don’t write on paper.

Since my last post I’ve completed an entire graduate class. Not too shabby. And you thought I was just watching college football.

There are also some interesting transitions happening in our lives that I’ll write about soon.

But until then, for those of you that read regularly, let me again say I’m sorry. And I do realize that if you keep doing the same thing over and over, sorry begins to lose it’s meaning.

I’ll have new material later this week.

This is a post I didn’t want to write. Several of you asked for it, but I’m tired of hearing about it and sickened by the ridiculousness of the whole mess.

Michael Vick is going to jail.

The superstar quarterback and lightning rod for controversy agreed to a plea bargain for funding and managing a multi-state dogfighting operation. At least that’s what the court documents will say.

But I believe Vick’s life has been forever changed because he chose to ignore the value of life. And that makes me sick.

Some have reacted to the public relations nirvana that animal rights groups have had with this story by diminishing the significance of animal cruelty. Are there worse atrocities taking place in our world? Certainly. But that does not change what’s at the heart of this story.

Watching a living creature being forced to suffer for entertainment can only be described as sin. (more…)

Over the past couple of years, I have grown to value and support organizations that serve the world out of their love for Christ.

There are no shortage of books, magazines, websites, and podcasts that are promoting joining the God of the oppressed in service as a normal and implied expression of the life of a follower of Christ.

There are so many doing so much; whether it’s building wells and providing fresh water, or building orphanages and homes, or financing micro-loans that stimulate economic growth in impoverished nations, or fighting to end slavery.

The theology is simple: How can we say we love God, who we don’t see, if we don’t love our brother or sister, who we do see? (1st John 4) There is no doubt in my mind that this is a great thing that God is doing.

But lately, I’ve been thinking that this approach can be dangerous. (more…)

He’s a towering figure that wears a black helmet. His broad shoulders and imposing weapon strike fear in all who face him. He’s a villain whose shadow alone is enough to intimidate anyone in his path.

He is Barry Bonds. And he now holds baseballs’ most treasured record.

Baseball is peculiar among the American sports landscape as it belongs as much to history and folklore as it does to ESPN and Sports Illustrated. More than any other sport, baseball belongs on the front page as much as it does on the sports page.

The earliest recorded baseball games predate the Civil War, and there is evidence that goes maybe even a hundred years prior to that traumatic era. So when you mess with baseball records, you’re not just messing with accomplishments, you’re messing with heritage and history.

And that’s why, more than any other sport, comparing eras and records in baseball is impossible. (more…)

I love the game of golf.

It is the most frustrating AND the most rewarding game I know. I love nearly all sports, but no other athletic endeavor can match the paradoxical nature of golf.

One moment it’s incredibly peaceful and relaxing. Yet three minutes later it can make you want to kick your bag or hurl your club like a javelin. (more…)

As you can tell, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Ok, “awhile” is too generous. So we’re going to move to the speed round and fit 7 or 8 posts into one Summer-sized makeup post.

This article is a little bit like what would happen if we sat down and had a cup of coffee. We’ll cover a bunch of topics, several thoughts, and random thoughts worth passing on.

Put on your seatbelt, grab the “Oh shoot!” handle, and hold on tight… (more…)

Last week I read the Gospel of Mark all the way through in a single sitting.

I read it to chapter 16 verse 8 and stopped; nearly all the various translation of the Bible have an italicized note at that point that explains the earliest manuscripts of Mark all stop at this verse. When you read it in a single setting and stop there, the ending is dramatic.

Try it sometime.

The effect is that this wonderful, familiar story takes on an M. Night Shyamalan, Alfred Hitchcock, edge-of-your-seat, lean around the corner to turn the light on tone. It has a shocking ending that is mysterious and pulls the reader into the story.

The central character at the height of the story disappears; to those earliest audiences, their ears would have burned when they heard this because rumors of His appearing all over the city were circling everywhere.

Who knows, Jesus might show up in your house. Or where you work. Or in the Temple. After all He was dead, but now He’s alive. (more…)

Over the past year, I can’t think of a single week where I haven’t spent considerable time discussing, thinking, reading, and praying through these questions:

Fundamentally, what is the church? How different can two churches look and still both accurately be called “church?”

Much of this discussion is taking place along what might be called a generation gap; it appears that the answers to the above questions often break down into categories on the basis of the age of the person you ask.

There’s no shortage of younger church planters and Christians saying that most churches today build enormous buildings in the comfortable suburbs, don’t care about the poor and oppressed, and are only worried about their programs and agendas while lacking genuine relationships.

Of course, you can quickly find a group of older guys that reply by saying these young guys just want to light a bunch of candles, drink coffee, explore their feelings while they hang out with their friends, and pontificate about how they’ve got all the answers. (more…)

You might have noticed that I haven’t written in a while. Alright, “a while, ” is too generous.

It’s been three weeks, and if you’ve checked here and have found nothing new, I’m sorry.

I’ve had to realize that this website is not really a blog in the traditional sense; it’s really more like an opinion column from a newspaper or magazine. A blog is more like a journal, which is hard for me to do. Because I studied journalism in college, it is difficult to just quickly drop in a series of sentences or thoughts without painstakingly deliberating over each line.

This tends to cut down on the new content. But, I’m trying to do better. Recently, most of my energy writing has been focused on a handbook for training that we are doing for Every Nation Campus Ministries. We’re hosting the training this week and are excited to see what happens over these next few days. I should have something to write about over the weekend.

Thank you for stopping by, reading and supporting my site. I always enjoy the feedback! Don’t worry about being profound, just tell me what you think.